Last year, Commissioner Roger Goodell encountered a mob of reporters in Canton who wanted answers regarding the manner in which he handled the two-game suspension imposed on former Ravens running back Ray Rice. This year, Goodell has yet to answer questions regarding the manner in which he handed the appeal of the four-game suspension imposed on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Last year, the scrum got awkward, with at least one reporter nearly turning his recording device into an endoscope. This year, the situation hasn’t seemed to spark the same degree of public zeal outside of Boston — but the issue has become big enough in Boston that Boston reporters could create a scrum of their own.